GRAND RAPIDS - Overtime proved to be unkind again to Calvin as the Knights suffered a 3-2 sudden-death overtime defeat to rival Hope in front of nearly 500 fans Wednesday afternoon at Calvin Field. The loss was the second straight 3-2 overtime defeat for the Knights who had fallen by the same score on Saturday in a non-conference loss at the College of Wooster.
Over the last three years, Calvin is 1-5-1 in overtime affairs. Two of the five overtime defeats have come against Hope as the Flying Dutchmen also defeated Calvin 3-2 in overtime in a September match last year.
Wednesday's contest marked the MIAA opener for both teams and with time ticking down on regulation, it appeared that Calvin would hold on for a thrilling 2-1 victory. With under 40 seconds left to play however, Calvin turned the ball over at midfield and Hope quickly sent the ball into the Calvin defensive zone. Hope sophomore Tyler Basler was taken down just outside the Calvin box on the resulting play, giving the Flying Dutchmen a direct kick left of center just outside the Calvin penalty box. Hope capitalized on the opportunity as junior Ed Huebner tucked in a low hard shot just inside the near goalpost after receiving a quick pass from senior Tim Kelly to knot the score at 2-2.
In overtime, Hope pressed the attack and with under five minutes left in the first overtime, Basler sent a throw-in from deep in the Calvin zone to the near zone. The ball was collected by sophomore Dan Olson and with defenders draped around him, Olson sent a heel pass to the far post that was whipped into a wide-open goal by senior Chris Sterling, ending the contest with 4:06 left in the first 10-minute overtime session.
Hope had taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by Bassler with 22:03 left in the first half as he cranked in a shot from the 18-yard line that deflected off a Calvin defender and into the top left-hand corner of the Calvin goal. Calvin regrouped at intermission and in the 63rd minute of play, the Knights tied the score 1-1 on a pretty play between junior David Buursma (Western Michigan Christian) and sophomore Joel Veldhouse (Sioux Falls, SD/Sioux Falls Christian HS). Buursma ignited the play with a well-timed chip over Hope's defensive back-line, allowing Veldhouse to run free onto the bouncing ball a split second before Hope senior goaltender Marcus Voss arrived at the play. Veldhouse spun by Voss and while moving to the right of the box, sent a low hard shot that snuck inside the near post for his team-leading seventh goal of the year.
Calvin then sent the home crowd into a frenzy by taking a 2-1 lead with 10:21 left on the clock as junior Mike Standfest (Elk Rapids/Elk Rapids HS) took a corner kick from freshman Levi Kool (Holland/Holland Christian HS) and headed a line drive that beat Voss on the high side, skipped off the crossbar and into the net.
Hope finished the game with a 20-9 shots at goal advantage and dominated the game throughout the first half. Calvin senior goaltender Justin Bouw (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) kept the Knights in the game with a number of diving saves. Voss also came up with a superb stop on a point-blank shot by Veldhouse midway through the first half. Bouw finished the match with nine
saves while Voss was credited with five stops.
Ranked seventh in the Great Lakes Region, Calvin dipped to 4-3-0 overall while Hope, ranked sixth in the Great Lakes Region, moved to 5-1-1 overall.
Calvin returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Adrian for a 1:30 p.m. contest.
